I have carpal tunnel release on both hands.......a cyst removed and 5 finger trigger releases. Also have had treatment for tennis elbow. I saw the doctor a few days ago and he gave me a 3rd cortisone injection in my elbow......yuck. The doctor then put me at MMI and what I don't understand is how can you have a cortisone injection for still having pain and they put you at MMI??? Doesn't make any sense to me at all.
Can someone maybe please explain this to me?????
I think what MMI as to what the Doctor is stating, is it means they think your at a point were they think you won't get any better, or any worse at this point. MMI doesn't always mean that medical treatment needs to stop neither. It just means they, the doctor feels your as good as your going to get. This is when you may wish to take such report to your attorney. And also seek a second opinion from another Doctor, even if you have to pay for it. It's always good to have 2 or 3 opinions then just 1 single opinion.
In workers comp, disability and function is the standard; pain is not.
You can be MMI as far as return of function and stablized disability but still see the doctor for pain relief/control --which is generally only temporary and does not improve underlying problem/condition.
One of the big confusions by worker's comp patients is that pain under the work comp system does NOT equal disability or injury.
Pain and suffering play a roll in civil suits but not in comp.
1171 i understand pain isnt covered under comp but I feel like after 3 cortisone injections that they only cover up the main problem for a little while. If I am at MMI then fixing my elbow is not going to happen??? Just continue these shots for the rest of my life?????
I would think we have to take the doctor at the standard and obvious meaning of the term Maximum Medical Improvement and conclude that the outlook on the elbow is not good.
stiff: most of us know there are no absolutes; thankx for the reminder.
answers are always given in the context of the question posed. this was not a AMA question.
(I could say your response was totally incorrect because you misspelled "impairment" but that would be taking it out of context-- this isn't a spelling contest.)
any broad answer is both right and wrong. I believe my observation is still correct given the issue posted. I didn't see that was eagle's confusion and still don't.
I'm glad you clarified it for others who might possibly come along later with a rating question in their minds.
Thanks 1171...........is there a time when they decide cortisone injections aren't going to work?? How many of these injections can you have safely????
Those are great medical questions; unfortunately that's out of my area of expertise.
I think you might find that information if you review some medical websites like webmd, merck manual etc.
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html
generally the use of cortisone allows swelling to subside so that exercise and other treatment options can be undertaken. In and of itself it doesn't repair the underlying damage. But look it up to be sure how much is appropriate.
Thank you so much for all your help 1171.......i really appreciate it. I am wondering if you know where I can look on the internet to find impairment ratings for diff injuries for Iowa?? My doctor said it is pretty much written in stone in some book as to the ratings he can give for diff injuries.....is this also true????
also then how do get an industrial rating???
I believe Iowa uses "The Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment" (not sure which edition) published by the American Medical Association. It is copyrighted and I don't believe it is available online. It can be purchased from Amazon.com but is usually between $100-$150.
stiffnecked Wrote:Sorry about that 1171. I had foot surgery yesterday morning and my mental spell check isn't working right.....
perfectly fine stiff:
I realize you had rating on your mind and what i posted wasn't adding up.
And I forgot that a message board isn't just for the original poster but probably more for the dozens or more 3rd or 4th handed readers who are trying to make sense out this system.
It took me a long while to sort this stuff out - to know that Some pain is good and some is not. That some pain tells us we are healing and some tells us we're broken. I wish doctors taught patients how to tell the difference.
Physical therapists/chiroprators/lawyers and probably insurance companys make a huge living out of this confusion.....
Be well